A Storied Love
by shiki94
Summary: High School AU Sasha Banks is one of the most popular students in her ninth grade class. So, it comes as a bit of a surprise when she's partnered up with Bayley Martinez, one of the school's resident dorks, to work on an English assignment. But, as the weeks go by, will Sasha see working with her partner in a new light? *Summary may change* Sasha BanksxBayley FEMSLASH
1. The Assignment

**Greetings, those who are giving this a read! I come bringing a new story (that, in hindsight, I shouldn't be starting, but *shrugs* it's an idea I've had bouncing around for a while, so *shrugs again* I figure why not start this up). I hope all of you that read this enjoy it...as this story is gonna be a high school femslash AU...starring Bayley and Sasha Banks.**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the people used in this fic. They are the property of themselves, the WWE, and the various other promotions they belong to. I only own my OC Alex Hardy and the ideas going into this. That being said, on to the story! =)**

Walking through the halls of Green Hills High School before reaching her locker one Monday morning in September, 14 year old freshman Sasha Banks could be heard talking about a party that she and some of her friends had over the weekend. It was just something normal that a lot of the teens in the popular clique talked about when they weren't talking about school or stuff at home. ...Speaking of something _normal_ that the teens in the popular clique talked about...

"Hey guys, look. Looks like the freak show's starting early this morning," one of Sasha's friends, a tall girl with long blonde hair, joked, pointing over to where a group of teens were gathered in front of some of the lockers.

Looking where her blonde friend was pointing, Sasha couldn't help the laugh that seemed to bubble out of her: In front of some of the lockers on the other side of the hallway were some of the students that made up Green Hills High's "freak" clique, these said students doing what Sasha could only guess was line rehearsals for their Drama class.

"Honestly, I don't get why they don't save that for their class. Don't they know how weird that makes them look?" Sasha asked, with a roll of her eyes.

"Don't you know, Sash? Apparently, they just don't care what people think when they see them doing stuff like that," Sasha's best friend, a blonde teen named Charlotte Flair, said, with an eyeroll of her own.

"Well, more power to them," the other blonde remarked. "I don't think I'd be able to show my face _anywhere_ if I did half the stuff _they_ do. They're all just so... _weird_."

"Now, Summer, that isn't quite nice," Sasha commented. "Besides, I think they've made it clear that they're all just really...creative."

"That's one word for them," the first blonde, Summer, laughed.

Letting out another short laugh at what Summer said, Sasha went about getting her books out of her locker that she was going to need for her first two classes of the day, as she could always make another stop by her locker later for what she was going to need for her other two classes. Closing and locking her locker just as the bell rang, Sasha had just begun to walk off with Charlotte when she accidentally collided with another student, which caused her to take a fall to the floor and land on her butt, her books landing on the floor around her and a hiss of pain flying past her lips.

Seeing this as she helped Sasha up and gather her books, Charlotte looked at the student that was responsible for the accident. "For Christ's sake, Bayley. Don't you know to watch where you're going?"

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. I was just trying to make it to class before hall traffic got to be too much," the other student, Bayley, apologized, a fairly guilty note in her voice. After having finally managed to get to her feet, Bayley apologized again. "I'm sorry for crashing into you, Sasha. I was trying to avoid the traffic in the halls and make it to class on time. My bad."

"It's okay, Bayley. Really, it is," Sasha waved off the brunette's apology.

"Are you sure?" Bayley asked, still feeling pretty bad about bumping into Sasha. Seeing the pink-haired teen nod, Bayley let out a breath of slight relief. "O-OK. If you say so. ...Um, ...I should...be heading to class. I'll see you in English, Sasha."

"Yeah, OK, Bayley," Sasha waved the ponytailed brunette away as Bayley went back to her speedy trek through the halls.

After watching Bayley disappear into the sea of students, Summer couldn't help but shake her head. "I can't believe you two actually used to be friends with that weirdo."

"Summer, you seem to forget that this was back when we were in elementary school. Back then, we were just silly kids," Charlotte brought up. "That was all before we grew up."

"Yeah. Before we grew up," Sasha echoed before trailing off, her gaze still off in the direction Bayley disappeared in. The freshman stood in wait of the bell for first period with Charlotte and Summer for a few minutes more before telling the two blondes that she'd see them later at lunch and heading off in the direction of her first period that she had with Bayley, which was English. As she walked along, Sasha couldn't help but think of the last bit of the talk she had with Summer and Charlotte. While the older blonde _was_ being fairly right about Bayley being...weird, Sasha couldn't exactly say that she felt Summer should've said that. After all, it's not like Bayley did anything that was all _that_ weird. Sure, she had a habit of hugging people quite a lot...and she _did_ have a fairly childlike way of looking at some things-cheating on tests and other school assignments being one of those things. ... _'OK, so maybe Bayley_ is _pretty weird. But, that doesn't mean that Summer was right in saying that. I'm sure Bayley has her reasons behind her behavior. It'll just take someone really asking about them,'_ Sasha thought as she finally reached her first period class and headed into the room to take her seat near the back of the class.

More students filed into the classroom as the bell got closer to ringing with Sasha seeing Bayley coming into the room talking to two of her friends-one being a girl with blonde hair that went past her shoulders a bit and the other being a boy with spiky brown brunette hair-as they took their seats in the middle of the classroom. Once the bell finally rang, their teacher, a woman in her 20s with long black hair that went past her shoulders with red streaks dyed into it named Tara Varon, came in to begin the school day.

"OK, guys. I hope you all enjoyed your weekends. But now, we have to get back on track with class. Meaning, it's time to talk about our coming end of semester projects," Ms. Varon said, much to the displeasure of most of her class. Hearing these groans, Ms. Varon continued on. "Now, now. I know this isn't exactly something you all are looking forward to, but it's a part of my curriculum. Besides, I'm sure a lot of you all would much rather have a project over a final exam for this class, wouldn't you?" Seeing the general mood of the class change at this, Ms. Varon said "Good. Now, for your end of semester projects. I'm going to separate all of you off into pairs, and in those pairs, you and your partner will both be responsible for choosing any subject matter you want and, after writing a piece on it, presenting what you've both written to the class. Since it's September now, and the semester ends early in January, that should give you all more than enough time to get this done. Any questions?" Seeing that there weren't any at the moment, Ms. Varon continued. "Good. Now, for me to partner you all off..."

As Sasha sat and listened to how Ms. Varon was pairing the class off, she couldn't say that she was all that excited about this. After all, what if she got stuck with a partner that was someone she didn't normally associate with? It could just spell a potential disaster for both of them. And a potential disaster wouldn't exactly be the _best thing_ to have on a project that was pretty much their final exam grade. ...So, it surprised the pink-haired teen quite a bit when she heard Ms. Varon say...

"And, Sasha? You'll be partnered with Bayley for your project," Ms. Varon said, having gotten to the last two students on her list. "OK. Now that I've paired you all off, why don't you take this time to get to know your project partner a bit? You can use the rest of the class time today to go sit near your project partner and begin to brainstorm ideas for your project."

With other students around her taking the chance to do what Ms. Varon said, many of them began to move around and pair off with their project partner, all Sasha could do was sit and let the unpleasant-to-her news sink in. Getting partnered up with Bayley was _not_ what Sasha was hoping for when Ms. Varon announced this assignment. After all, this was Bayley Martinez she was talking about here. _Bayley Martinez_ , one of the dorkiest and weirdest kids in all of Green Hills High. And the fact that she had to rely on someone like _her_ to help ensure that she'd pass English 1... Closing her eyes with a low groan as she pinched the bridge of her nose and then reopened them, Sasha looked up to see Bayley standing in front of her desk, a small and slightly nervous smile on the ponytailed brunette's face.

"So," Bayley began as she rocked back on the heels of her shoes a bit. "I guess we're project partners. What do you say, Sasha? Ready to give working on a project with me a go?" After saying all of this, Bayley held her hand out in the hopes that Sasha would shake it as a way of saying Yes.

While Sasha _still_ couldn't quite seem to believe that this was even happening, she knew that there was no point in trying to argue it. Besides, it was just _one project_ that she had to do with Bayley. How bad could it _really_ turn out to be in the end? Letting out a breath, Sasha decided to take and shake the brunette's hand before saying "Sure. Whatever you say, ... _partner_."

 **So, it looks like are off to a fairly ...awkward start to Bayley and Sasha partnering up for their project. Which means this is going to be a pretty interesting semester for the teens. So, until next chapter, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	2. Project Talk?

**So after being assigned to be project partners with each other, how will Bayley and Sasha's first chat go? Read on to find out, my loves. =)**

Pulling her hand out of Sasha's, Bayley couldn't help but stand in a bit of awkward silence as Sasha looked down at her hands. Bayley could already tell that Sasha was _not_ looking forward to working with her on this project just from how she was sitting. It wasn't exactly a nice, comfy feeling that the ponytailed brunette was feeling right now, but...she was going to ignore the icky feeling that seemed to fill her. _'After all, me and Sasha used to be friends. So, ...she can't be_ too _against wanting to work with me,'_ Bayley thought, in a bid to try to reassure herself. Her mental pep talk seeming to have worked, the ponytailed brunette gave herself a reassuring nod before taking a seat in the empty desk that was in front of Sasha's. Wanting to do something in the way of breaking the ice with the pink-haired teen, Bayley asked "So. Do you...have any ideas for what we could talk and write about for our project?"

"Huh? Oh. Uh, no. Can't say that I do, just yet," Sasha said, her mind seeming to be elsewhere.

"Oh! OK. Well, it's like Ms. Varon said, we've got until before the end of the semester to have an idea for our project, so...I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out," Bayley shrugged this off with a smile.

With this little bit of conversation having ended, the two teens sat in what felt like a fairly uncomfortable silence that seemed to settle in over the two. While Bayley _wanted_ to try to break the silence, she wasn't quite sure what to say or do to break the silence between the two. It wasn't until she could finally manage to find something to talk about that the bell to signal the end of first period and the beginning of second period rang that Bayley found herself unable to really say anything else as Sasha had gotten out of her seat and walked out of the classroom along with other students that were quick leavers. Bayley would've completely forgotten that she wasn't in her desk had it not been for one of her friends in class asking...

"Um, Bayley? You mind getting out of my seat so I can get my stuff?" asked a boy with short slightly curly red hair.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, Sami. Didn't think I was hanging in your seat for so long," Bayley said before quickly rising from Sami's seat.

"It's fine, Bayley. No need to worry about it," the boy, Sami, waved off as he gathered his stuff together. Looking up to see Bayley still hanging around his desk, Sami asked "Bayley? Is...everything okay? You seem kind of...spacey about something."

"Sorta. Everything's...sorta okay," Bayley admitted as she scratched the back of her head.

Seeing that Bayley seemed a bit upset about something, Sami felt the need to talk with his friend. But, a quick glance up at the clock showed that there probably wouldn't be enough time for them to really talk there, seeing as how students for Ms. Varon's second period class were already coming into the classroom. "How about I walk you to your next class and you can tell me about what's on your mind?"

"OK," Bayley nodded, liking the sound of this idea. After making a dash to her desk to get her backpack and the rest of her things, Bayley and Sami headed out of the classroom and on the way to their second period classes, Bayley's being Freshman Transitions and Sami's being honors Algebra 1.

As the two brunettes walked along, Sami decided to cut a bit quickly to the chase of why Bayley seemed so spacey after class. "So, Bayley. What made you space out so much in class? I know you daydream a lot, but that was like a whole new level of daydreaming for you."

"I, uh...I was trying to figure out something to say," Bayley said. "Something to say to Sasha, that is."

"Something like what? You two are pretty much on two different planes now after so many years, aren't you?" Sami asked. The redhead knew that once upon a time, Bayley was pretty good friends with Sasha. But, over the years, they had seemingly fallen away from each other for...reasons. "What could you _possibly_ want to talk with Sasha Banks about?"

"I don't know. Just seeing if everything was going okay with her," Bayley scratched the back of her head. "First time I feel like I really get a chance to talk with her in years, and I just froze up. Can't believe that happened."

"Don't worry, Bayley. I'm sure you'll be able to talk to Sasha in time. After all, with you two being project partners, that'll give you plenty time to talk to her," Sami reassured. "It'll just take finding the right thing at the right time to really talk about, and then I'm sure things will begin to smooth out between you two."

"I know, Sami, I know," Bayley smiled a bit. "Thanks for hearing me out on this. I just feel nervous about this project. I just hope it'll go well."

"I'm sure it will. Besides, what could possibly go wrong with you working with Sasha on this project? I'm sure things'll go just fine," Sami smiled, hoping to send some of his confidence to Bayley.

"I only hope so," Bayley said, just as she and Sami reached her class. "Well, here's my stop. I'll see you at home after school."

"You know it," Sami smiled and waved at Bayley before taking off for his class. As he walked along, Sami couldn't help but feel that Bayley was _maybe_ worrying a bit much about their project. Sure, he could tell that she was nervous about working with Sasha, since the relationship they now had was one filled with distance, but he had faith enough in his ponytailed friend to do well working with one of the so-called "Queens of Ninth Grade". Like he had said to Bayley, it was just going to take finding the right thing at the right time to really talk about before things could begin to smooth out between the former friends.

…

"I actually can't believe Ms. Varon partnered you up with Bayley of all people in your class," Charlotte said as she ran a finger around the cap on her bottle of water.

"You and me both," Sasha said before eating a grape from her tray. "I wouldn't mind if it was for something coming up soon, but we have to work on this thing _all semester._ That means a whole semester of me brainstorming ideas with her and probably getting to know her …friends."

"Maybe it won't be that bad working with Bayley on your English project," Charlotte tried to console her pink-haired friend. "After all, with as much of a crazy work ethic that Bayley has, she'll probably end up doing most of the work herself."

"Yeah, I …guess you're right," Sasha somewhat agreed before she went back to eating her lunch. While she had a feeling that Charlotte was right, she just didn't want to do anything that would up being seen as taking advantage of Bayley. _'Even though it_ has _been a long time since I last really talked to her or anything, not even she'd deserve something like that. Maybe I should just relax about this project. Who knows? Maybe it'll be …sorta fun trying to work on something like this with someone like Bayley.'_

 _Meanwhile, Over at Bayley's Table_

"I don't know, you guys. Maybe I should ask Ms. Varon tomorrow if I can trade project partners with someone else in class," Bayley nervously said as she jabbed at the mound of mashed potatoes on her tray with her spoon.

"And just _why_ do you think you need to do something like that, Bayley?" a girl with brunette hair with pink streaks dyed into it asked.

"Because, Alex, I'm going to be working with _Sasha_. _Sasha Banks!_ This already has recipe for disaster stamped all over it," Bayley moaned.

"It's only as big of a disaster as you choose to make it, Bayley" the brunette, Alex, said. "Besides, I thought you two were really good friends at some point."

"Yeah, back when we were all in elementary school, maybe early on in middle school. Ever since she really came out of her shell back then, it just feels like she hasn't really wanted anything to do with me. I guess she just wanted to make friends that think and act the same way she does now," Bayley said, a slight sulk starting to come over her.

"Come on, Bayley. Don't feel too down on yourself," another of Bayley's friends, a fellow freshman with two-toned black and blonde hair said from where she was sitting. "It's like Alex pointed out. You guys were good friends at a point. Just because she doesn't really talk to you that much anymore doesn't mean anything. At least with this project, it gives you a chance to try talking with her again and maybe ...sorta making friends with her again."

"Huh. I didn't quite think of it that way," Bayley reasoned and smiled a bit, taking her two-toned friend's words into account. "You're right, Kaitlyn. I shouldn't be looking at this so negatively. We haven't even begun working on our project just yet, so I'm not going to let my worrying get the better of me here. Thanks for the encouragment."

"Ahh, yes, young Bayley. Do not let your worries get the better of you over your forthcoming project," a boy with shoulder-length brunette hair added in. "You must take your worries and _delete them!_ "

Blinking as she tilted her head to the side, Bayley asked "'Delete them'? What do you mean, Matt?"

Stopping the brunette, Matt, before he could answer the younger brunette, a girl with long red hair cut in and said "Pay Matt no mind. He's just _a bit_ too eager to really work on this new character he came up with during Drama. Although, he _does_ make a good point...in a weird way" with a slight snicker.

"Really?" Bayley asked. Seeing the redhead nod, Bayley only said "Huh" before returning her attention to her tray. She knew that her friends were right with what they told her. After all, even though it _had_ been a number of years since she last really talked with Sasha, Bayley couldn't forget that at one point they were the best of friends. She just had to hope that now she'd be able to talk with Sasha just as easily as she used to and work from there with trying to do something in the way of rebuilding the bond the two once had between them.

 **Well, it didn't look things went too well between Bayley and Sasha in their first project chat. Maybe some time at home and mulling over what their friends told them will help things in that field. So, until next time, don't forget to R &R please. =)**

 **(*laughs* I hope you guys liked my little bit of Teen Broken...Woken...BroWoken Matt Hardy in this. ...Although, he _does_ make a good point as far as Bayley's worries over the project go. All she needs to do is take her worries and...say it with me...DELETE THEM!)**


	3. Home Ponderings

**So, after a bit of unexpected delay on my end, here's Chapter 3 of 'A Storied Love', where we get a glimpse into Bayley and Sasha's home lives. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, lovelies. =)**

With the school day finally coming to end, Sasha left her fourth period as quickly as she could so that she could head on home to work on getting her homework for the day finished. It wasn't much, but she just wanted to take care of it all so that she could spend the rest of her day brainstorming ideas for her and Bayley's English project since she had a feeling Ms. Varon was probably going to want to hear idea proposals soon. Waving goodbye to Charlotte and some of her other friends, Sasha began her walk back to her home, her thoughts already drifting off to just what she and Bayley could do for their project. _'Think, Banks, think. What's something that you could write about and talk to the class about with Bayley? Maybe do a book report of sorts? ...Nah, that would mean having to find a book that Bayley would be okay with reading and talking about. Talk about something we've discussed in class? ...No, that's what Ms. Varon's there for. ...Hmm. This is going to be harder than I thought. Maybe something'll hit me tonight.'_

Finally reaching her home, Sasha headed up the walkway to the front door where, after producing her house key and unlocking the door, she stepped inside to see that her mother had gotten off of work early and was stretched out on one of the couches in the living room, taking a nap. _'Mom must've had a crazy day at work today,'_ Sasha thought as she said "I'm home, Mom." Not getting an answer, Sasha just shrugged this off as she set her backpack in the living room and went upstairs to her room to get her laptop. Reaching her room and grabbing her laptop, Sasha made her way back downstairs where, after setting her laptop on the coffee table, she went about working on the homework for the two classes she had to deal with. _'After this, I can better focus on trying to figure out just what me and Bayley can write about for our English project,'_ Sasha thought as, after pulling out her phone and putting in her earbuds so that she'd have music to listen to, she began to work on her homework.

...

 _'OK! And my homework for Pre-Algebra is done,'_ Bayley thought, setting her pencil on her desk as she leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh. With this, Bayley was done with her homework for the evening. Now, this left her plenty of time to focus on trying to think of something she and Sasha could work on for their English project. _'Hmm... What is there that me and Sasha could even write about and discuss with our class? School stuff? Books? Just what is there that we can share with our class and Ms. Varon?'_ Bayley had been so lost in thought that she almost didn't hear the voice calling her.

 _"Bayley. Could you come to the kitchen right quick?_ " the voice asked.

"Hmm? Oh! Coming, Mrs. Zayn," Bayley responded. Rising from her seat, Bayley made her way to downstairs and to the kitchen. Reaching her destination, Bayley asked "Yes, Mrs. Zayn? You need me for something?"

"Yes. I was just wondering if you'd be okay with spaghetti for dinner tonight?" Mrs. Zayn, an older woman with long curly red hair, asked.

"Oh, yeah! Spaghetti sounds great tonight," Bayley nodded.

"Great. Now, I've already asked Sami, and he was okay with it, too," Mrs. Zayn smiled.

"That's good. Are you going to need any help with anything in here?" Bayley asked.

"No, I have it under control in here. You can go watch TV with Sami until dinner's ready," Mrs. Zayn said.

"Are you sure?" Bayley asked, wanting to be of at least _some_ help. Seeing the older woman nod, Bayley simply nodded herself as she left the kitchen and headed to the living room where Sami was. It was something that always got to Bayley when it came to her trying to help out Mrs. Zayn with anything at home. The brunette always tried to do what she could to repay the older woman for taking her in after she lost her parents in a very bad car accident a few years ago; even though most of these attempts were usually met with Mrs. Zayn saying she didn't need the help, that didn't stop Bayley from doing whatever she could to help out around the Zayn household with anything she could help out with. _'After all, it's the least I could do for Mr. and Mrs. Zayn after they were nice enough to take me in,'_ Bayley thought as she reached the living room to find Sami sitting on one of the couches, watching an episode of an anime the two had been watching together over the weeks. "About time you finally caught up with Pokémon Sun and Moon," Bayley said, taking a seat beside the redhead.

"I'm just glad I didn't have much in the way of homework to do today," Sami said. "Once I was done with my homework for World History, I decided today would be great to finally catch up with it."

"Good thing, too. I was getting bored not being able to watch it with you," Bayley smiled.

"I felt the same way," Sami smiled as he watched the last scene of the episode with Bayley. With the episode now over and the end credits rolling, Sami looked over to the brunette that was like a sister to him. "So... Were you ever able to come up with anything that you'd be willing to work on with Sasha for you guys' English project yet?"

"No. Although, I think I was more preoccupied with trying to finish my homework for Pre-Algebra than I was with trying to think about our English project," Bayley said. "You have any luck on your end with your project idea?"

"No, not yet. And, given just who my project partner is, I haven't really had much luck coming up with any good ideas for us," Sami admitted.

"I think I'd take working with Tyler Breeze over working with Sasha," Bayley said. "At least with Tyler, you could suggest writing about fashion or police stuff of some sort and he'd be on board with the idea."

"I'll have to keep that in mind when we go to English tomorrow," Sami said as he and Bayley shared a laugh at Bayley's suggestion. What Bayley said fresh in his mind, Sami said "Maybe that's it."

"Hmm? What is? What's it, Sami?" Bayley asked.

"Maybe as far as what you and Sasha could write about goes, why don't you maybe write about something that you both are interested in?" Sami suggested. "I know that might be a reach of an idea, but it's something, at least."

"Huh. I never really thought of that," Bayley thought over Sami's suggestion. "That ...could probably actually work. I'll try talking with Sasha about this tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion, Sami."

"It's no problem, Bayley," Sami smiled. "Anything I can do to help a friend out."

"Well, you helped out big time," Bayley smiled as she pulled the redhead in for a hug.

Returning the brunette's hug, Sami thought _'At least now, Bayley's got a stepping stone to figuring how best to work with Sasha. Now, she just needs to work from there on her own.'_

...

Yawning a bit, Gloria Banks sat up on the couch she had been napping on and was greeted with the sight of her daughter watching some sort of cartoon.

Hearing yawning coming from her left, Sasha looked over to see that her mom had woken up from her nap. "Well, well. Look who finally woke up from her nap."

"Hey now, missy. I earned that nap after the day I had," Mrs. Banks laughed a bit at the joking tone in her daughter's voice. "Honestly, you never really know how crowded a doctor's office can be until you see a line of people waiting to get their shots done."

"Wow. Sounds like you were pretty busy today," Sasha said. "Well, at least you have a couple of days off coming up, so that's good."

"It sure is," Mrs. Banks nodded her agreement. Taking note of the fact that her daughter was watching TV, Mrs. Banks said "So, I take that you got all of your homework done."

"Yes, mom," Sasha replied with a light laugh. "All I really had to foucs on tonight was some work for Earth Sciences. I've only got something for English to deal with, but I can worry about that later."

"And just what's this 'something for English' that you're putting off?" Mrs. Banks asked.

"It's not so much I'm putting it off. It's just something for class that isn't due until the end of the semester that I'm a bit stuck on," Sasha explained.

"What has you feeling stuck on what you have to do for your English class?" Mrs. Banks asked.

"Well, it's a project that we had to partner up with someone in class to brainstorm something to write about and we present what we wrote about to the class," Sasha continued her explanation. "Although, given who my partner is, I'm not expecting all that high a grade."

"And just who's your partner? It isn't that Liv Morgan that was giving you problems, is it?" Mrs. Banks asked.

"No. And, thank God it isn't her," Sasha said with a scoff. "No, I got partnered up with Bayley to do my project."

"Well, I don't see what's the problem with you working with Bayley. Given how close you two are, this should be a piece of cake for you both," Mrs. Banks said with a smile.

"Yeah, a...a real piece of cake," Sasha forced a bit of a smile in spite of the slight guilty feeling she felt when she heard her mom say that about her and Bayley. "If only we could figure out something to write about for our project."

"Hmm. That does seem to be the million dollar question here," Mrs. Banks mused out loud. It wasn't until the older woman looked to the TV that she got an idea. "Why don't you and Bayley write about the Pokémon that you two like so much? I'm sure you'd be able to write something pretty interesting for your project."

"It'd also be pretty dorky if two teenagers wrote about something like Pokémon for a school project, mom," Sasha laughed a bit at her mom's suggestion. "But, I'll keep that idea in mind."

"That's the spirit," Mrs. Banks smiled. "Now, I think I should get a move on making dinner for tonight. Want anything in particular?"

"Whatever you feel like making," Sasha smiled. Watching her mom walk off towards the kitchen, Sasha called over her shoulder "Give me a shout if you need any help with anything!" Hearing her mom's answer, Sasha returned her attention back to the episode of Pokémon Sun and Moon that she was watching as her talk with her mom lingered a bit in her thoughts. _'Maybe mom's a bit right. Maybe, as far as what Bayley and I write about, we could at least write about stuff we like. That can't hurt as an idea. I guess now I wait until tomorrow to pitch this idea to Bayley,'_ Sashat thought.

 **Huh. Looks like Bayley and Sasha have something in common with each other that could go towards their project. Maybe what Sami and Sasha's mom said is true. Maybe if they find common ground on things they like, their project will come together smoothly. But, this be the turbulent land known as high school, so...*shrugs*...who really knows? I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes next for the duo. So, until next time, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	4. Project Talk (Round 2)

**Well, round one of project talk didn't go so well for Bayley and Sasha. Let's see if round two of project talk will fare any better for the odd pair. I hope you enjoy, my loves. =)**

The next day, Sasha sat in Ms. Varon's classroom in wait for when Bayley would show up. All of yesterday afternoon, the pink-haired teen had been thinking over possible ideas for what she and Bayley could do for their project, but nothing seemed to stick out to her. _'Maybe Bayley was able to think of something that I couldn't yesterday. She_ does _have the better grades in here out of the two of us, so maybe she has an idea or two,'_ Sasha thought, resting her head in one of her hands.

And just as Sasha had this thought did she see Bayley come into the room with her friends and take her seat. _'OK. Now all we have to do is wait for Ms. Varon to let us pair up so that we can talk this over,'_ Sasha thought as she watched Bayley talk with her friends. For some reason, an odd feeling seemed to rise up inside of Sasha as she watched the ponytailed brunette talk with her friends. _'I can only imagine what Bayley's talking about with Emma and Zack. Probably something geeky, knowing them,'_ Sasha thought, as she sat in wait for when Ms. Varon would come to class.

Bayley, on the other hand, was a complete bundle of nerves as far as when it would be time for everyone to get back with their project partners.

"Bayley, do Zack and I have to get Sami up here to calm you down?" Emma questioned.

"No, Em, you guys don't. I'm trying to calm down, really I am. I just don't know if Sasha'll like what I have to say about our possible project idea," Bayley said, twirling her thumbs around.

"She probably will, Bay. I mean, knowing Sasha, she probably doesn't have an idea of her own. So, she'll have no choice but to hear yours out," Zack said.

"Yeah, I ...I guess you're right, Zack," Bayley nodded. "At least, ...I hope you're right."

Talk among the students in class went on for a few minutes more until the bell rang and Ms. Varon joined the class.

"OK. Since yesterday marked the first day of your end-of-semester projects, I'm going to let you all get back together with your partners again today to talk over ideas for your projects. So, same as yesterday, go sit back with your partner and spend the next 30 minutes brainstorming ideas," Ms. Varon said before taking a seat at her desk.

With these words, Sasha watched as students got up and moved around to sit near their partners. Seeing Bayley rise up from her seat so that another student could borrow her desk, Sasha watched as the ponytailed brunette came to join her. _'OK. Let's see just what kind of ideas Bayley was able to come up with.'_

Taking a seat in Sami's desk, Bayley greeted Sasha with a wave of her hand and a "Good morning, Sasha".

Returning Bayley's greeting with one of her own, Sasha decided to cut right to the chase. "So, were you able to come up with anything yesterday?"

"Kind of, I was," Bayley began. Seeing the look on Sasha's face, Bayley decided to go on with what she was talking about. "Well, I was talking with Sami about the project yesterday, and I was thinking ...maybe we could do ours on something that we're both interested in."

"'Something we're both interested in', huh? That ...actually sounds like it could probably work," Sasha said, liking the sound of the idea Bayley had as it reminded her a bit of what she and her mom talked about the day before. "Do you want to start that off or should I?"

"I'll start things off. Let's see... We should at least share three things between ourselves. Just to get things started," Bayley said.

Beginning to like the sound of this idea, Sasha simply gave Bayley a "Go ahead" gesture to get things started.

"OK. Well, three things that I like are anime-Pokémon being one of my favorites-video games, and cooking and baking," Bayley said, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. "Now, it's your turn, Sasha. What are three things you like?"

"Hmm... Well, three things I can say I like are hanging out with my friends, movies, and cooking, too," Sasha said, silently wishing she could've just been open and shared that she liked the same things Bayley did.

"Huh. Well, I guess we can work off of us both being into cooking. Who knows? Maybe we can make something and bring it in to class," Bayley suggested. "We could probably get a high grade from it, too."

"Yeah, maybe we could," Sasha said, laughing a bit at Bayley's suggestion. "That actually sounds like it could work as our project."

"OK. Well, ...great!" Bayley chirped, letting out a slight sigh of relief. "So, ...I guess now we just decide on what we'll make and how we'll discuss it with the class."

"We've got plenty of time to think this through. No need to really rush with this right now," Sasha pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. Right, right," Bayley nodded in agreement.

And no sooner that Bayley said this did a silence settle over the two while the rest of the class talked around them until Ms. Varon called for everyone to return to their seats.

Watching Bayley walk back to her seat, it suddenly hit Sasha that _maybe_ there was something she forgot to bring up during their little talk. _'It's probably not anything all that important. No big deal,'_ Sasha shrugged as she turned her attention to Ms. Varon's lecture on parts of a sentence and sentence structures.

Meanwhile back with Bayley, as she listened to Ms. Varon's lecture and took notes on what was being discussed, it suddenly hit the ponytailed brunette. _'Oh, man. I didn't give Sasha my cell phone number! Man oh man_ oh man _! ...OK, no worries! No need to get worked up. I'll just make sure to stop Sasha before the day's over and ask her for it then. Right. OK. That plan is a_ go _!'_ Bayley thought with a slight nod as she returned her attention back to the lecture.

...This, however, proved to be quite the tricky task as every time Bayley would try to stop Sasha in the halls, she was met with either Sasha being surrounded by her friends, crowding in the hallways, and just her own nerves flaring up; not even another round of Matt's "Delete your worries!" pep talk at lunch seemed to help her feel any less nervous.

 _'The deleting stuff is easy for Matt to say._ He's _not the one that's gotta try and talk on a level field with someone that he was really close friends with a few years ago_ , _'_ Bayley thought as she rested her head on the table she was sitting at in her fourth period Visual Arts class.

Looking over from where she was sitting, a girl with quite the mane of fiery red hair asked "What's got you so down, Bayley?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," Bayley said, her head still on the tabletop.

Looking over to where Alex was, the redhead asked "Care to fill a lost lass in on the haps with Bayley?"

"Bayley got partnered up with Sasha Banks for a project they have to do in their English class that isn't due until the end of the semester. Today, she's been trying to get to Sasha to ask her for her cell phone number after she forgot to ask for it in their class earlier," Alex explained as she moved a ruler around on the paper she had. "And as you can see, that has not gone well."

"Ach, Sasha," the redhead shook her head with an eyeroll as she continued to work on her drawing. "I can see why Bayley hasn't gotten her digits yet. Muppet's so far in her bubble, makes it hard for anyone to talk to her."

"Please don't talk about her like that, Becky," Bayley insisted, raising her head and looking at the redhead.

"Sorry, Bayley. Just calling it like I see it," Becky shrugged.

Wanting to say something, Bayley tried but failed to come up with a counter. She knew that Becky was right...she just didn't want to think that that would always be the case when it came to Sasha. After all, considering the fact that the teens have something in the way of a shared past, it only makes sense that the ponytailed brunette would want to do what she can to look on the bright side. _'Sasha really isn't that bad. Becky knows that just like I do. I just wish I could show her and everyone else that,'_ Bayley thought, her mind feeling too preoccupied to really work on her art project.

After what seemed like a long time, the final bell of the day rang, letting the students of Green Hills High head home for the day. After helping put away the art supplies she, Alex, and Becky used in class, Bayley grabbed her backpack and headed out of the school building with Alex and Becky, the other two teens talking back and forth about their own homework they had to deal with while Bayley's thoughts were on her failed mission. _'I can't believe I chickened out and didn't ask Sasha for her number. I guess there's always tomorrow, but I just wanted to get it so that we could do some more brainstorming outside of class. ...Oh, well. Again, there's always tomorrow,'_ Bayley thought as she, Alex, and Becky finally made their way outside.

Catching a glimpse of a familiar head of pink hair, Alex nudged Bayley in the side. Getting the attention of her ponytailed friend, Alex pointed ahead of the trio. "I believe you have something to take care of, Bayley."

Feeling confused at first, Bayley looked in the direction Alex was pointing to see Sasha walking along alone. "Umm, ...maybe I should wait until tomorrow. I wouldn't want to bug Sasha on her walk home."

"No, Bayley. You can't keep putting doing this off," Alex rested a hand on Bayley's shoulder. "It's just a simple thing. Walk up to her, ask her for her number, and that's it. Worst thing that could happen is that she say No."

"Which, knowing her, seems like the likely result," Becky cheekily added.

Sending a slight glare in the redhead's direction, Alex said "Don't pay what Becks said any mind. Just go ask her, Bayley. I'll even walk with you, if you want me to."

"Thanks, Alex," Bayley smiled after hearing this. "You want to come with, Becks?"

"No way. Count me out. I should probably be heading home anyway. Got a lot of homework I need to deal with. Good luck on the number getting, you two," Becky waved the two brunettes goodbye before heading down the main steps and out of the schoolyard.

Watching Becky's retreating form, Bayley then returned to the mission at hand, which was getting Sasha's number. Making her way down the steps with Alex following beside her, Bayley kept mentally telling herself to stay calm. _'It's just a simple thing. Ask Sasha for her number, and then I head home. It's just that simple!'_ Feeling a bit more sure of herself, Bayley continued her walk ahead she was close enough to Sasha. Reaching out, the ponytailed brunette tapped the pink-haired teen on the shoulder.

Feeling light tapping on her shoulder, Sasha couldn't help but jump in place a bit. Turning around to see who it was, she saw that it was Bayley and one of the brunette's friends with her. Pulling her earbuds out of her ears, Sasha said "Bayley, hi. Wasn't expecting to run into you right now."

"Yeah. What a crazy coincidence, right?" Bayley asked, letting out a bit of a nervous laugh. Hearing Alex clearing her throat behind her, Bayley decided to jump to asking Sasha the question that was on her mind. "Actually, Sasha, there's something I wanted to ask you?"

"Sure, Bayley. What's that?" Sasha asked.

"I, uh, I was wondering if you'd maybe want to exchange cell phone numbers. Just so that we can talk with each other about our English project outside of school," Bayley said, her heart starting to beat a bit quickly.

"Um... Sure, I don't see any problem with that," Sasha shrugged. Pulling her phone out of her shorts pocket with Bayley doing the same with hers, Sasha told Bayley her phone number first with Bayley doing the same for Sasha after having entered Sasha's number into her phone. Entering Bayley's number into her phone and saving it under her name, Sasha said "OK. Looks like that's done."

"So it is," Bayley nodded. "So, I ...guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll see you then," Sasha nodded herself. Giving just a wave of her hand as a goodbye to the two brunettes, Sasha put her earbuds back in her ears and went back to her walk home.

With Sasha having walked away, Alex stepped forward with a smile on her face. "Congrats, Bay. You managed to get Sasha's number!"

"I know. I still can't believe that actually happened," Bayley let out a huge sigh of relief as she and Alex walked away from the school.

"So, after all of that, what now?" Alex asked.

"Now? I guess now, ...I just make sure to text or call Sasha about stuff for our project," Bayley said with a slight shrug.

"I'm sure you two will be able to get that stuff all sorted out and dealt with," Alex said. "At least with you two having shared numbers, it'll give you two more time to talk it over."

"Yeah. You're pretty right about that," Bayley nodded with a smile. Talking with Alex for a few minutes more until they reached her house where the teens said their goodbyes for the day, Bayley headed up the walkway to the front door of her home where she couldn't help but look down at Sasha's number in her contacts. _'It's just for us to work on our English project. That's all me having Sasha's number means. Now to go tackle this English and Pre-Algebra so that I can have more time to think over the project'_ Bayley thought as she put her phone in her pocket and headed inside her home.

...

Looking down at the new number in her phone, Sasha still couldn't believe that she traded numbers with Bayley. _'It's just for our English project. That's all it's for,'_ Sasha thought before another thought came to her. _'..._ Although _, I don't see anything wrong with maybe sending Bayley texts about ...other stuff here and there.'_ Another thought coming to her just then, Sasha pulled up her text messager and, after putting in Bayley's name, typed a quick message and sent it off to the ponytailed brunette before returning her attention to the homework she had for her Earth Sciences class.

 **Well, it looks like Bayley and Sasha's second round of project talk went pretty okay. They at least started to talk about ideas, so I'd say that counts as progress. Although, the _real_ progress came after school was over when Bayley finally managed to get back with Sasha and exchange cell phone numbers with her so that there could be some project chat outside of school. _Although,_ with having Bayley's number, Sasha gets the idea that maybe all of their talking doesn't have to be project-centric. What could that possibly mean? Well, you'll have to wait until next chapter to at least get an idea as to what Sasha means. Until then, don't forget to R&R please. =)**

 **(I forgot to mention that we had a new character join the story in the form of Becky Lynch, who does _not_ seem like all that much of a Sasha fan. I wonder why this is.)**


	5. Keep The Secret

_Looking down at the new number in her phone, Sasha still couldn't believe that she traded numbers with Bayley. 'It's just for our English project. That's all it's for,' Sasha thought before another thought came to her. '...Although, I don't see anything wrong with maybe sending Bayley texts about ...other stuff here and there.' Another thought coming to her just then, Sasha pulled up her text messager and, after putting in Bayley's name, typed a quick message and sent it off to the ponytailed brunette before returning her attention to the homework she had for her Earth Sciences class._

 **My apologies for being a bit late with this update. Having to be a nurse aide of sorts has been wearing me out. I'm still writing (for those that read my stories)...My updates'll just take a bit of time.**

 **All of this being said, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter of 'A Storied Love', my loves. =)**

Sitting in class that Wednesday, Bayley still found herself feeling a bit confused about the text Sasha had sent her yesterday.

 _'Say nothing about what we text each other to ANYONE. I'd rather our texts stay private.'_ -Sasha

 _''Stay private'? What could Sasha mean by that? We're just going to text about our project. What's to keep private there?'_ Bayley thought as she twirled a bit of hair around her fingers.

Seeing the confused look on Bayley's face, Emma couldn't help but ask "Bayley? Everything okay over there?"

Hearing her name being called, Bayley snapped out of her thought bubble and looked over to see Emma and Zack looking at her. "I'm sorry, Em. Did you ...say something?"

"Yeah. I was asking if you were okay," Emma repeated. "I don't think I've ever seen you look so focused on something when we aren't even doing anything."

Blushing a bit at Emma saying that, Bayley said "Well, I'm _kind of_ doing okay. I've just got some project stuff on my mind. That's all."

"I see. Well, given who your partner is, I can see why that could be something on your mind," Emma nodded. "Have you two decided on an idea yet?"

"We decided on one, but I'm not sure if it'll be our final idea," Bayley said, skirting what was really on her mind.

"Well, for your sake at least, you two will be able to settle on an idea," Emma said. "It'd really be a bummer if your grade took a blow just because Sasha didn't pull her weight and help out."

"Yeah, it really would be," Bayley distractedly said with a nod just as Ms. Varon came in and joined the class. As Ms. Varon launched into the day's lecture, Bayley let her mind drift back to what Emma had said about her working with Sasha. The ponytailed brunette knew that what her blonde friend said wasn't entirely true about their pink-haired topic of conversation, but Bayley couldn't help but have a few rising doubts about how her working with Sasha would go. _'Maybe this is something I should text Sasha for and ask her about. Better I try to get some answers straight from her instead of listening to what everyone else says,'_ Bayley thought as she continued to take notes on Ms. Varon's lecture.

 _Later, At Lunch_

Bayley had just taken another bite out of the slice of pizza she had gotten for lunch when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. _'This is weird. Who could be texting me right now?'_ Bayley thought as she fished her phone out of her pocket to see just who would be texting her at a time like this. Taking care to hide her phone out of view of any of the teachers in the lunch room, Bayley opened the new message.

 _'Come meet me outside the lunch room now. We need to talk.'_ -Sasha

 _'That's weird. What could Sasha have to talk to me about?'_ Bayley thought as she swallowed her food. _'Whatever it is, it sounds serious.'_ Rising from her seat, Bayley left the table without giving her friends a chance to ask where she was going. Making her way around the tables, Bayley made it to where Sasha was standing just outside of the lunch room.

"Hey, Sasha. You ...needed to see me for something?" Bayley asked.

"Yeah. I was just wondering what you and your friends were talking about earlier this morning in English. You didn't talk about anything we texted about last night, did you?" Sasha asked, getting right to the point.

"No, no, not at all!" Bayley shook her head. "What you told me about you ...you know, it stays between us."

Had anyone else told her this, Sasha wouldn't have believed it. But, since this was all coming from Bayley, the pink-haired teen knew that it was the truth. "OK, Bayley. I believe you. Just remember what I said. _Say nothing_ to any of your friends about what we text each other about."

"I won't, Sasha. I promise I won't," Bayley held her hands up.

"Good," Sasha nodded. And with that, the pink-haired teen took her leave and headed back into the lunch room, leaving Bayley behind.

With Sasha having gone, Bayley followed behind her a little afterward. _'I don't get what the big deal is. Why would it be so bad if people knew what we texted each other about? Unless it's because we have different groups of friends, I don't get it.'_ Having gotten back to her table, the ponytailed brunette sat down to many curious stares from her friends. Blushing a bit as she looked down at her tray of mostly eaten food, Bayley asked "What is it? Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. We were just wondering what made you get up and leave just a few minutes ago," Kaitlyn said.

"Oh, that! I, uh...just had to go use the restroom. That's all," Bayley responded.

"That's understandable. After all, you _have_ had a lot of juice to drink," Alex joked.

"What? A girl's got to stay hydrated, right?" Bayley shrugged with a slight grin.

"Yes, indeed, young Bayley," Matt said. "Always remember to stay hydrated so that you can... So that you can... ...OK, I think I'm out of those for one day. Just keep in mind what you and Alex were talking about, OK?"

"I will, Matt, I will," Bayley said as she joined her friends in their laughing. When she finally managed to stop laughing and went back to eating her lunch, Bayley kept in mind all of what her friends told her. _'I know that I lied to them about where I really went, but I'm supposed to keep my talks with Sasha secret. I guess it'd be okay to tell everyone if Sasha says it's okay. But, until then, our talks like that are secret.'_

 **Huh . Sasha sure seems a bit too cautious about anyone possibly finding out what she and Bayley text each other about. What could it be, I wonder? That shall be revealed in the coming chapters. So, until my next update, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	6. A Weekend Discovery

**...OK, to everyone that's been waiting on updates for this, I am _SOOOOO_ sorry it's taken me so long to get a new chapter posted. I'll try to be a bit quicker with my updates, so until then, I ask that you _please_ be patient with me.**

 **Now that the note is out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. =)**

 **Friday**

After getting over the Wednesday hump, the rest of the school week seemed to pass pretty quickly. With the bell ringing at the end of the school day, students quickly made their way out of school, ready to get started with their weekend plans.

"So, what's on your agenda for this weekend, Bay?" Alex asked as she, Bayley, and Becky walked out of the school building.

"Well, I don't really have any homework to do, so I think I might spend it texting Sasha about what we can do for our project," Bayley mused. "Ms. Varon said she wants final project ideas on Monday, so hopefully, we'll be able to settle on something."

"I'm sure you both will," Becky chimed in. "At least with your brains, you'll be able to come with something good."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Bayley nodded. "Outside of that, I'm just gonna fill my time with ...whatever."

"'Whatever', huh?" Alex asked. "I think I might know what you'll have in mind there, so I'm just saying in advance have fun."

"I will, Lexi. No need to worry about that," Bayley grinned with a laugh.

Having made it outside of the building into the warm August afternoon, the trio walked and talked for a bit longer until Bayley was the first to split off from the group and head home. Heading up the walkway to her home, Bayley headed inside and upstairs to her bedroom where, after setting her backpack near her bed, laid down and closed her eyes as she let a nap take hold of her.

'And, my Algebra homework is finally done,' Sasha thought as she set down her pencils and closed her textbook and binder. 'Now, time to get my binge watch of Stranger Things started.' Opening her laptop, Sasha pulled up Netflix and, after getting comfortable on the couch she was sitting on, began to watch where she had left off in the series.

* * *

 **Saturday**

Sending off a text to Bayley, Sasha set down her phone and watched the end credits of the new episode of the anime she was following played out. 'I needed something cute like this after the week at school I've had,' Sasha thought. Once the end credits were done, Sasha got out of bed and, after changing out of her pajamas, put on a t-shirt, a pair of jogging pants, and a pair of her running shoes and pulled her hair back into a ponytail so that she could go out for a run. Grabbing her phone and house key, Sasha left her bedroom, made her way to the living room and outside into the warm Saturday afternoon, making sure to lock the door behind her.

As soon as she reached the sidewalk, Sasha took off at a light jog with no real direction in mind. Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Sasha stopped to pull it out and saw that Bayley had finally replied to her.

'I know, right? Kanna's little rain dance was just too cute!' was Bayley's reply.

Laughing at the brunette's enthusiastic reply, Sasha sent off a quick reply before pocketing her phone and continuing her jog. It still surprised Sasha that she even told Bayley that she liked anime as it wasn't exactly something that people in her social circle were really into. But, she felt she had to tell _somebody_ , and who better than someone who ran in one of the school's dorkier circles. And, …she _actually_ felt a bit better that she had told the brunette, as Bayley had been doing a pretty good job at keeping her secret hobby a secret. 'Now, if she can just keep this up, then things'll go a lot smoother between us ' Sasha thought as she picked up her pace.

" _AAH! Someone help! I'm getting bombarded with shells!"_ Alex's voice could be heard coming from Bayley's phone.

"Don't worry, Lexi! I just got something that'll hopefully take care of the other team!" Bayley said, her fingers flying over her controller. "Thunderbolt attack, GO!" And, with a press of a button, the Lightning Bolt Bayley had gotten from the item box struck most of the other players around her, letting her speed ahead of them.

" _Wow. Now, that's what I call a shocking surprise,"_ Becky's voice could be heard.

Laughing a bit at Becky's joke, Bayley said "It sure was. One that …gave our team the win, YES!" with a celebratory first pump. Setting her controller down, Bayley watched her character's, Baby Daisy, victory animation. Weekends were usually one of Bayley's favorite parts of the week as they were a chance for her to relax and play video games as much as she wanted. And one of her favorites was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, where she was quite the skilled racer.

Laughing from where he was sitting beside Bayley, Sami said "Wow, Bayley. That was one lucky Thunder Bolt you pulled."

"Thanks, Sami," Bayley said with a laugh. "I guess the Mario Kart gods were on my side with that. Especially since it helped everyone on our team."

"They certainly were," Alex chimed in. "Helped get me to up to first, even if I did lose my three red shells."

"And I lost my Golden Mushroom. But, I at least got sixth, so I wasn't last," Becky said.  
"True, true," Bayley agreed. "Besides, there's always the next race."  
 _"So true, love,"_ Becky said. _"Ach! Has it gotten this late, already?! Sorry, everyone. I just remembered that I was supposed to going out with my mom to help with grocery shopping. Today's been fun. Gotta go!"_

 _"Yeah, I should be leaving, too. Matt and Jeff are probably gonna be coming to kidnap me in a bit to help out with their thing for Drama. It's been fun, everybody,"_ Alex said.

"OK. We'll see you both maybe later. Have fun with your stuff, you two," Bayley said, ending the group call. Rising from the couch, Bayley left out of the living room to the kitchen in search of another snack when she heard her phone's text messages ringtone go off. Fishing her phone out of her pocket, Bayley saw that Sasha had replied to her message.

' _It really was. Kinda makes you wonder if something like that could actually make it rain.'_ was Sasha's reply. Laughing at Sasha's message, Bayley typed _'Yeah. It kinda does. XD'_ before putting her phone back in her shorts pocket. Having reached the kitchen, Bayley went about getting her and Sami another snack as she thought _'If only Sasha wasn't so weird about showing the side she does when we text each other. Then maybe it wouldn't be so bad trying to talk with her. …Oh well. I guess this is a bridge we can cross some other time.'_ Having gotten what she wanted to snack on, Bayley shouted "Sami, I'm heading back! Let's decide on what we're going to do next!"

* * *

 **Sunday**

With the weekend coming to an end, things had went from a state of relaxing to people across Orlando, Florida getting ready for a new week. As things winded down for Bayley and Sasha, the teens had noticed that, as they had spent a good bit of the weekend texting each other, that there seemed to be something there that they could maybe work into their project for Ms. Varon's class.

' _Let's just hope that Sasha will be open to my idea for our project,'_ Bayley thought as she ate dinner Sunday night.

' _Now, to wait for tomorrow so that I can pitch my idea to Bayley,'_ Sasha thought as she laughed at the movie she was watching with her mom.

 **So, this chapter is more meant to be cooldown of sorts from the events of last chapter with Sasha showing a bit of paranoia about Bayley possibly telling any of her friends about what they text about. With this chapter, I just wanted to show what the two fairly different teens did over the weekend (I hope you all didn't mind a bit of cooldown). And with an idea brewing, looks like they have something to look forward to, as far as school goes. Until that chapter, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	7. Monday (Part 1)

**So, after the weekend, what follows it? Why, Mondays, of course. That, and the start of a new school (and work) week. And just how will Bayley and Sasha's start off? Read on to find out, my loves. =)**

Monday came, and with it, a new week. After the weekend she had, Bayley was feeling pretty ready to head to school so that she could tell Sasha about her idea for their English project. _'I guess it turned out to be a good thing when Sasha first texted me and told me about some of the stuff she likes,'_ Bayley thought, an eager smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she walked along with Sami to school.

Looking over and seeing the almost bounce with which Bayley walked with, Sami couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. "Wow, Bayley. I think this is the most excited I've ever seen you to head to school on a Monday."

Laughing a bit herself, Bayley said "What can I say? I'm just ready to do some more project talk in English."

"Really? You are?" Sami asked, raising an eyebrow. Seeing Bayley's rather enthusiastic nod, Sami couldn't help but say "Wow."

"'Wow', what exactly, Sami?" Bayley asked, feeling a bit confused.

"Well, it just doesn't seem like it happens every day that someone outside of Sasha's circle is all that excited to do anything with her," Sami said.

"What can I say? I ...guess I'm just coming around to the idea of working on this project with Sasha," Bayley said with a shrug.

"Huh. Never thought I'd hear you say anything like that," Sami said. "But, I guess it is pretty good that you're willing to put stuff between you and Sasha behind you.

"Yeah, well, ...that was all just dumb stuff anyway. Nothing to linger on and hold against," Bayley said, an uneasy laugh escaping her.

"Yeah, if you say so," Sami nodded, having noticed both Bayley's laugh and the way her grip on one of her backpack straps tightened. _'I can only hope you're telling the truth about that, Bayley. I really do,'_ Sami thought as he and Bayley walked on to school.

…

Walking into the mostly empty school building, Sasha made her way to the library, a quickness in her step. _'OK. Just have to return these before anyone I know comes inside and get the next two,'_ Sasha thought. She had been so focused on her current morning mission that, when she rounded a corner-

" _Damn it! Jesus, Banks, did you forget to yer contacts in this morning, or are ye just feeling jaded right now?"_ an annoyed voice with a slight accent said from in front of her where she fell on the floor.

Looking in front of her, Sasha saw that she walked into and knocked down Becky. "Jeez. Sorry, Becky. Didn't know you were in here at this time of morning."

"Well, I kind of have to be since I'm servin' out a sentence because of a certain two people," Becky said, an annoyed tone coloring her voice.

"Hey now. It's not my fault that you couldn't just stay in your lane," Sasha said, beginning to feel just as annoyed before adding in a lower tone "After all, you know I told you not to come around me when I was with my friends."

"Oh! Well, forgive me for disturbing her royal highness while she was with her court of eejits!" Becky spat, a scowl working it's way across her face. "At least with me, you didn't have to act like a total arse that picks on others just because they're different!"

"That's fucking rich coming from the chick that would call so many people whankers that it actually became one of our little jokes. You're no different than Charlotte and Summer and everyone else in my circle now, Becky, so don't even try to sound like you're so high and mighty," Sasha said, a sharp laugh escaping her.

With Sasha saying this, Becky found herself at a loss for words...largely because she knew that the pink-haired teen was right. Instead of countering what Sasha said, Becky simply stood up and, after grabbing her backpack, sped away in the direction Sasha had just come from.

Finally standing from the ground, Sasha brushed herself and grabbed her backpack but not before kicking the wall she was closest to in her frustration and speeding off to the library. _'Damn it! Why did Becky have to bring all of_ that _up_ _this morning?! I do not need this on my mind. Not to start off the week, at least,'_ Sasha thought, her cheeks heating with an unwelcome blush.

…

As she sat behind Sasha in Ms. Varon's class, Bayley couldn't help but notice the far-off look on the pink-haired teen's face. _'Sasha seems a bit ...off today. I hope everything's okay,'_ Bayley thought while she said "So, I think I might've come up with a better idea for what we can do for our project over the weekend."

"Oh yeah? What's the idea you came up with?" Sasha asked, her thoughts still mostly on what happened earlier.

"Well, I was thinking we could maybe do something talking about differences between people," Bayley suggested. "I figure with us being quite a different pair, we could maybe probably come with something in that field."

"Huh. Funny. I actually thought of something kind of like that, too," Sasha said, liking the sound of the idea.

"Really?" Bayley asked, surprised to hear this. Seeing Sasha nod, Bayley couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "Wow. Who knew we were on the same wavelength with our ideas?"

"Yeah, crazy, isn't it?" Sasha said, a bit distractedly.

"Yeah, I ...I guess it is," Bayley said with a slight laugh.

Things had soon fell silent between the two for the rest of the period, outside of when it was their turn to tell Ms. Varon about their project idea-which Ms. Varon responded "Interesting idea, you two. I'll be looking forward to hearing how it goes when we reach our first progress check." After this, the bell rang, releasing the students from first period.

Before she could try to talk to Sasha, Bayley watched as the pink-haired teen quickly rose from her seat and left the room. _'Geez, just what_ is _Sasha's deal today? Something's wrong, and I'm gonna figure out what it is. Or at least,_ try _to figure out what it is,'_ Bayley thought, heading back to her desk and grabbing her things before leaving out of the classroom and heading on to her second period class.

 **Wow. Well, it certainly looks like the week for both teens is off to quite a rocky start. Bayley seemed to be talking to a brick wall (of sorts) in Sasha not really being responsive, and Sasha ...well, I guess it's a good thing that Becky decided to leave when she did before both teens got in trouble (...well, _more trouble,_ in Becky's case). Sure seems like there's a lot of bad blood between the two. But, just what could be the cause of their rocky relationship? That shall be revealed in a later chapter (but has been touched on a bit in this chapter). Until next time, don't forget to R&R please. =)**


	8. Monday (Part 2)

**So, after the weirdness that happened with Sasha in first period, was Bayley ever able to find a way to talk with her project partner about what was wrong? Read on to find out, my loves. =) (And a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there!)**

It was midway through second period, and Bayley still found her thoughts on Sasha and her weird behavior in first period. _'I wonder what was up with Sasha earlier. I hope she's feeling okay,'_ Bayley thought as she kept working on a worksheet in class. The ponytailed brunette had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice-

"Who threw this paper ball at me?!" Bayley unexpectedly snapped as she picked up what hit her on the forehead.

"Whoa, Bayley, easy now. I was just trying to ask you about something for World History," a girl with a British accent, pale skin, and black hair said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. My bad, Paige. I was just thinking about something that happened in my English class," Bayley said with a sigh.

"And just what is is this something that had you drawing literal circles all over your paper?" the girl, Paige, asked as she pointed down at the brunette's paper.

Looking down at her paper and seeing what she did, Bayley sighed again before talking about what was on her mind. "Well, it has to do with a project that we have to do that's going through the semester. My project partner is Sasha, and-"

"Well, just the fact that Banks is your partner for the semester is cause enough for worry," Paige interrupted with a scoff. "At any rate, do continue."

"Right," Bayley shook off Paige's interruption. "Anyway, she seemed kinda distracted about something. And before I could ask her about what was wrong, class was over and she left before I could ask. Does that make me a bad partner because I didn't try to talk to her?"

"Well, I wouldn't say it makes you a bad partner, as a lot of this falls on Sasha for being a frost box and not talking things through with you. Now, only thing I can suggest is to maybe try finding her and talking with her. And if that doesn't work, then just keep on her about what might be bothering her," Paige suggested.

"That actually sounds like some solid advice. Thanks, Paige," Bayley smiled as she hugged the Brit.

"No problem, love. Anything I can do to help a friend," Paige smiled. "Speaking of helping a friend, about World History..."

Laughing a bit, the brunette launched into helping Paige out with what was puzzling her in that class of theirs as she took what the raven-haired teen said into mind. _'Paige is right. Maybe I should try to find Sasha, and see if she's okay. I just hope she'll be up for talking about what's bothering her '_

…

Sitting at a table in the library after having returned the books she had, Sasha rested her head on her backpack as she tried to clear her head of the morning's happenings. _'Damn Becky. She just had to bring up shit I had buried down. Why, though? Just why?'_

 _Three Years Ago_

" _Oh my god, Becky. That was just too funny," 11 year old Sasha said around her laughs one October day after school she was walking at the park with Becky Lynch, her mother keeping an eye on them._

" _Ah, you know it's true, Sash. Some of the kids in our class are just some dim wankers," 11 year old Becky laughed herself. "I mean, how could they be so dim that they didn't know that Mr. Wright was gonna spook 'em? I swear that scared look on Charlotte's face was priceless."_

" _It really was. Guess Char is scared of some stuff, after all," Sasha said._

" _Even the boldest of 'em all have chinks in their armor. Just takes the right thing to get 'em," Becky said._

" _True, true," Sasha agreed. "At least I know I'll always have you to help keep me safe from anything, Becks."_

" _Think nothing of it, Sash. As long as I'm here, no monster or wanker or any other bad thing'll hurt ya. And that's a promise," Becky said with a smile as she took hold of Sasha's hand._

" _And I thank you for being my fiery guardian, Becks," Sasha smiled as she looked over to meet Becky's gaze._

 _Present Day_

Sasha had been so lost in that memory that she found herself getting abruptly brought out of it by a voice calling her name. Sitting up, the pink-haired teen saw that the source of her name being called was Bayley. "Hey, Bayley. What brings you to the library?"

"Well, I was actually looking for you because I wanted to talk to you about something, and here I find you crying about something. Is everything okay?" Bayley asked, feeling concerned.

Confused by what the brunette said at first, Sasha then brought a hand and touched her cheek, only to feel what felt like drying tears. "Oh. So I was crying."

"Everything okay? Do you need to maybe go see the nurse?" Bayley asked as she set her backpack on the table.

"No, not really. I ...just have some stuff on my mind. That's all," Sasha said as she stood up and began to walk over to the bookshelves in search of what she wanted to check out.

"Stuff like what? Want to talk about it?" Bayley asked, following the pink-haired teen.

"I ...I wouldn't want to bore you with my lame story," Sasha said, not wanting to talk about what was on her mind.

Her talk with Paige bouncing around in her mind, Bayley pressed on. "I won't think it's boring. Just talk to me about it. Just ...think of it like I'm one of your friends you're venting to."

Hearing Bayley say it like that, Sasha took a breath and let it out before launching into a version of what she wanted to talk about. "Well, I was heading to the library earlier today, and I had bumped into Becky before I got here. We had a bit of an argument, and she ...she said some stuff that's been sitting on my mind for most of the day."

"What'd she say to you?" Bayley asked, feeling a bit worried.

"She ...she just said some stuff about how it's thanks to me and some of my friends that she had got in trouble a few weeks ago," Sasha said, not wanting to explain things so much.

"I heard about when that happened. Well, ...in Becky's defense, it wasn't all that nice when Summer made fun of her accent and, to loosely quote her, "tell her to protect her Lucky Charms". You gotta admit that that was just mean," Bayley defended her friend.

"Yeah, well, ...Becky kinda had something like that coming after the way she called Summer an idiot," Sasha defended her friend.

"OK, fair point," Bayley agreed. "Look. I'll chat with Becky in Art, and ask her to maybe apologize to you for what happened."

"No need. Don't worry about it," Sasha said, shaking her head.

"You sure?" Bayley asked.

"Yeah. It was just over some dumb shit that's been settled. No need to worry," Sasha said as she got closer to the bookshelves she was heading for.

"OK. If you say so," Bayley said. Having finally noticed what section of the library they were in, the brunette asked "So, what brings you to where the graphic novels and stuff are? I thought stuff like this would maybe be too dorky for you."

"Well, Bayley, you managed to get me into that anime you just insisted I check out over the weekend and the comics that go along with it," Sasha slightly lied. "Plus, this gives me something cute to read when I'm not working on school stuff."

"Really? That's awesome!" Bayley chirped, causing one of the librarians to shush her, her cheeks to heat a bit, and Sasha to snicker a bit. In a quieter voice, Bayley said "Well, if you liked 'Dragon Maid', I've seen some other series like it that you might like."

"OK, cool. You can just text them to me after school," Sasha said, having found and grabbed the next two books in the series she wanted to check out before heading back to her table.

"Great!" Bayley excitedly chirped again only to get shushed by the same librarian again and for Sasha to snicker again. "I mean, great. I'll text you about them later. That, and to talk about our English project some more. I've gotta head back to one of the drama classrooms to help my friends with something before lunch is over."

"OK," Sasha nodded. Waving Bayley goodbye and watching as the ponytailed brunette sped out of the library-which caused the same librarian to tell her to slow down-the pink-haired teen let out a sigh as she let her talk with Bayley sink in. Her whole altercation with Becky earlier was still feeling llike quite a hard pill to swallow, but ...Sasha knew that Bayley was on the right track with what she told her. _'After all, it was because of_ me _blowing shit out of proportion that Becky even got in trouble in the first place. Maybe at some point in the future I can at least try to make things right with Becky. But for now, ...I've got more important stuff to focus on.'_

 **So, it looks like Bayley was at least able to get a glimpse at just why Sasha seemed so down in first period. And, after switching over to Sasha, seems like she's got some fairly strong memories of when she was younger and friends with Becky. Maybe in time, Sasha will be able to make things right with Becky. But for now, her mind is set on more important things. So, until next time, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	9. Monday (Part 3)

**Hi, everybody ~ Many, many, many, many, _many_ apologies for not having updated this in a good while. I've been busy with a lot of stuff lately, so that should hopefully explain my sorta hiatus.**

 **That all being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter (Quick recap: After having noticed that Sasha wasn't doing so well in first period, Bayley meets up with and has a talk with her in the library that results in Sasha saying it was because of stuff with Becky.).**

As Bayley sat in her fourth period, she couldn't help but keep stealing looks at Becky as she worked on her art project. _'Becky_ seems _okay, but I wonder why she may have been arguing with Sasha earlier.'_

Happening to look up just as Bayley was looking at her, Becky asked "Um, Bayley? Any reason you're staring at me?"

"Huh? Oh, no! Not really. Just ...checking to make sure you're doing okay," Bayley said.

"Well, I'm doing just dandy, if that's what you wanted to know," Becky said, not quite getting what the brunette was getting at.

"OK. That's ...good," Bayley said with a slow nod.

"Why? Is there something wrong with me doing fine?" Becky asked, wanting to know just why Bayley asked her such a random question.

"No, no, not at all," Bayley shook her head. "I just …."

"You just _what_?" Becky asked, her confusion growing.

"I just, ...I just...," Bayley began before quickly raising her hand and asking "Ms. Beckman, may I go to the restroom, please?!"

"Sure, Bayley. Don't stay gone too long," Candice Beckman, a woman in her mid-20s with curly brunette hair, said before going back to helping another student out with their project.

"I won't, ma'am," Bayley nodded before quickly rising from her seat and heading out of the classroom. Making her way to and reaching the girl's restroom, Bayley went into an empty stall and closed and locked the door behind her. Letting out a nervous breath, Bayley reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out her phone. Typing up a quick text to Becky and sending it, the ponytailed brunette slid her phone back into her pocket and stood in wait of her friend. Only a few minutes had passed before Bayley heard the restroom door open and Becky's voice calling her.

" _Bayley? You still in here?"_ Becky asked.

Unlocking the stall door and stepping out, Bayley said "Yeah, I'm still here."

"I can see. What gives with the weird text? Does this have to do with your weird questions back in class?" Becky asked, wanting some answers.

"It does, yeah," Bayley nodded. Getting right to her point, Bayley asked "Is everything okay with you and Sasha? I went to the library during lunch to talk with her about our English project, and she wasn't feeling too good. So, I talked with her a bit, and she said that it's because of some stuff with you that she wasn't feeling too good. Is everything okay between you two?"

Hearing the mention of Sasha almost instantly brought a scowl to Becky's face. Holding back some rather ...biting words, Becky said "No, actually. Everything is _not_ okay between me and that pink-haired eejit."

"Why not? Did something happen between you two?" Bayley asked.

"Just the bogus stuff that happened near the start of the school year. ...She made fun of my goggles, so I decided to do something about it. Gave her a righteous sock in the arm, I did," Becky mischievously grinned as she made a fist.

"OK, now I know what you were talking about. But, that still wasn't all that nice, Becky," Bayley said. "Don't you remember how big a bruise you left on her arm?"

"Yeah, I do. And I don't care. It's her fault for acting like she's the high and mighty queen of the world," Becky huffed.

"I'm not all that big a fan of how Sasha acts either, but that still wasn't nice of you to do," Bayley pointed out.

Wanting to say something but deciding against it, Becky pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes before opening them and saying "Look. If I promise to apologize to her at some point, does that mean you'll drop this for now?"

"If that's what you want, Becks, then sure, I will. Pinky promise me that you will," Bayley said, holding up her right pinky.

Laughing a bit as she shook her head, Becky locked pinkies with Bayley before saying "I pinky promise, OK? Now, come on. Let's get back to class before Ms. Beckman sends Alex or AJ to come get us."

Laughing a bit as she took her pinky away from Becky's, the pair made their way back to class. As she walked along with her friend, Bayley was feeling a bit better about having found out just what the deal was with her friend and her project partner. _'At least now I know just what the problem is. I just hope they'll be able to make up with each other in time,'_ Bayley thought as she and Becky got back to class and got back to work on their projects.

…

Sitting in one of the armchairs in her living room after school, Sasha watched as the end credits for the episode of Sailor Moon she was watching played. _'OK, that's the end of that episode. Time to get to working on my project before I end up having a marathon,'_ Sasha thought. Opening her backpack, Sasha then pulled up Bayley's number in her phone and sent a text asking her if they could talk about their project. It hadn't been too much longer before her phone began to ring. Answering the call, Sasha laughed a bit before saying "Wow. That was fast, Bayley."

" _Yeah, I know. I guess I'm just ready to try to work on our English project,"_ Bayley said with a laugh.

"Same here. I just hope this makes up for skipping this during lunch," Sasha said. "Not sure if I said this earlier, but, I'm sorry about not being in the best mindset to work during lunch."

" _Oh, it's alright, Sasha. It's not really that big a deal. Besides, we have pretty much the whole semester to work on it, so we have loads of time,"_ Bayley said.

"Yeah, you're right about that," Sasha laughed a bit. Grabbing a notebook and pencil out of her backpack, Sasha said "So, let's get some brainstorming started."

" _Sounds good to me!"_ Bayley chirped. _"So, we're agreed on working with something having to do with differences between people, right?"_

"Right. Now, just how should we go about writing this?" Sasha asked as she began to take notes.

" _Hmm,"_ Bayley began. _"We could…. We could maybe write a poem of some sort. Like, maybe each line could be told from the perspective of two different people."_

"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea," Sasha said, writing down what the brunette suggested. "Got any ideas about just who we should write about? You know, like from their viewpoints?"

" _Umm,"_ Bayley hesitantly began. _"Not ...yet, I don't. That's about as much as I could think of."_

"Oh," Sasha said. "Well, it's no big deal. Like you said, we've got pretty much the whole semester to work on this."

" _Yeah, we do,"_ Bayley agreed. _"So, I ...guess that's all you wanted to talk about? Because, I actually have something I need to go do."_

"Yeah, that's all I wanted. I'll get to work on an early draft and show you what I came up with some time tomorrow," Sasha said.

" _OK! Sounds good to me,"_ Bayley said. _"So, I ...guess I'll see you tomorrow at school?"_

"Sure. See you then," Sasha said, ending the call. Looking down at the few notes she had, Sasha began to write down a few extra things that she felt would work towards her and Bayley's project. _'Hopefully, Bayley'll have some stuff to contribute to this,'_ Sasha thought.

…

' _Almost there! Almost there!'_ Bayley thought, her fingers quickly mashing the button that would let her use up her Golden Mushroom in the third lap of the game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe she was in.

"You're almost there, Bayley," Sami said, watching closely as Bayley drove her character around the other players she was playing against. Watching as Bayley activated the Star she had just in time to dodge a Lightning Bolt used by another player, Sami watched as Bayley bowled through the shrunken characters of other players and crossed the finish line, securing her fifth first place win of the day. "Yeah, you did it, Bayley!" Sami cheered.

"I did, didn't I?" Bayley said with a laugh. Having gotten back to the game lobby, Bayley opted to leave the room and reached forward and turned off the Nintendo Switch she and Sami shared. Sitting back in the couch, Bayley said "Those were some fun races I had."

"It sure looked like you were having fun. Guess it was just the thing you needed after the morning you had," Sami said. "Were you able to really ever able to really talk to Sasha about your project?"

"Well, we didn't have much time during school, so it was a pretty big relief when I was able to talk with her just a few minutes ago," Bayley said. "Plus, we were able to finally brainstorm some ideas."

"That's really great to hear," Sami said with a smile. "At least that's more luck than I've had with Tyler and our project."

"Is he still trying to make your idea fashion-related?" Bayley asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Sami sighed. "I've tried to tell him I'm not interested in anything like that, but he just won't open up to any kind of compromise."

"That's not good," Bayley said. Thinking a bit, Bayley said "You've been saying you wanted to maybe do something related to some books that you've read, right?"

"Yeah, I have. Why do you ask?" Sami asked.

"Well, maybe you could show Tyler pictures of characters from some of the books you like and you two can work something like that into your project. You know, that way he can talk about fashion and you can talk about some of the books you like."

Thinking over what Bayley just said, Sami said "That actually sounds like a pretty good idea, Bayley. You wouldn't mind if I use it for mine and Tyler's project, would you?"

"Of course I don't mind," Bayley said. "It was something I just pitched to you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you're right," Sami laughed a bit.

" _Sami, Bayley. Wash up now. It's time for dinner!"_ Mrs. Zayn could be heard calling from the kitchen.

"OK, we're coming!" both teens answered.

Rising from the couch with Sami, Bayley walked along with her friend to the kitchen as they talked more about their respective projects. As Bayley walked along, she thought _'OK. After dinner, I'm going to work on writing some stuff up for our project. Hopefully, Sasha's doing some work on it, too."_

 **So, it looks like Bayley was able to find out just what was going on between Becky and Sasha (...sorta). Maybe things'll smooth out between those two at some point in the future. Moving on, looks like Bayley and Sasha were able to get some more project planning done. Let's just hope their work can go smoothly. So, until next time, don't forget to R &R please. =)**

 **(Juat a little note: The Art teacher, Candice Beckman = Candice Michelle. I dunno why, but I just felt like she'd be a good fit as a teacher.)**


	10. Monday Confusion (Part 1)

**Looks like things are getting off to a pretty good start for Bayley and Sasha project-wise. How will things go from here? Read on to find out, my loves. =)**

The next day saw things go fairly well for Bayley and Sasha in their latest round of at-school project talk. As it would turn out, both teens had some fairly similar ideas for how they would go about working on their project that they felt would mesh well together.

"Huh. Never would've guessed that we'd be on so much of a similar wavelength with our ideas," Bayley said with a laugh.

"Yeah, me neither. I guess it helps that our idea is something that relates to us," Sasha said.

"It does?" Bayley asked. Seeing the pink-haired teen nod, Bayley asked "What makes you say that?"

"Well, ...you know," Sasha began.

"I know ...what?" Bayley asked, feeling confused.

"You know. How both of us are different," Sasha finally managed to continue.

"Different how?" Bayley asked, still not quite following.

Holding in a groan, the pink-haired teen said "You know! Me being popular and you being ...you."

Blinking as she processed what Sasha just said, Bayley said "Oh! I get what you mean. Well, ...I don't see that as a bad thing. If anything, that'll probably help make our project easier to really put together."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will," Sasha nodded in agreement.

With this last remark, as usual, silence fell over the pair while their classmates were abuzz around them with project planning of their own. While Sasha was seemingly content with the silence, it was honestly something that was beginning to get to Bayley a bit.

' _Maybe some other time I can try talking to Sasha in class. Besides, we've got the whole rest of the semester to do anything like that,'_ Bayley thought as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Making sure that Ms. Varon wasn't watching her and Sasha-she wasn't as she was helping a student pair out with something for their project-she pulled out her phone to check her email. Seeing one of the first messages, Bayley quickly opened it. Reading over the text, a wide smile spread across the brunette's face as she let out a silent "Yes! It's here!"

Looking up from the paper she was writing out some ideas for her and Bayley's project on, Sasha was confused by the excitement on her project partner's face. "Uh, Bayley. You ...okay up there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah yeah yeah I'm fine," Bayley said with a bit of a nervous laugh. "I was, uh, ...I just saw that there was a new chapter of the Dragon Maid manga released."

Laughing a bit as she shook her head, Sasha said "Wow, Bayley. Risking getting caught with your phone out just to read manga? I think that's a first for you, if I've heard it."

Blushing a bit, Bayley said "Well, it's not like I'm any different than most of the others that go to school with us that use _their_ phones in possible full view of the teachers" as she put her phone back to sleep and slid it back into her pocket, with Ms. Varon still not watching. "Besides, at least I'm putting mine away and not using it for most of the class."

"True true," Sasha nodded. "At least you're being smart enough to do that."

"Mmhmm! I sure am!" Bayley nodded and smiled.

Laughing a bit at this from Bayley, Sasha went back to working on their project, hoping to get her mind off of their recent little chat...and hoping to will away the slight warmth she felt touch her cheeks.

And like always, silence fell over the teens, only this time with Bayley offering suggestions here and there that she and Sasha talked over. After a few more minutes of working, the bell rang, ending first period.

With students moving back to their seats and getting their things so they could go to their second period classes, Bayley and Sasha stood from their seats after packing their things.

"So. You gonna be up for working on the project some more after school today?" Sasha asked.

"Umm…." Bayley thought before saying "Sure! I shouldn't be too busy with other work, so I'll have pretty much the rest of the day to help work on it."

"OK. Sounds like a plan to me," Sasha nodded. Watching as Bayley was then joined by Sami and the pair left with Bayley excitedly talking with Sami about something, the pink-haired teen didn't even realize she was still in the classroom until she heard Ms. Varon calling her name.

"Um, Sasha. Don't you have a second period class you need to get to?" Ms. Varon asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Yeah, I do! Sorry, Ms. V," Sasha apologized before grabbing her backpack and dashing out of the classroom.

All while she quickly made her way to her second period, Sasha tried to shake what happened in first period out of her thoughts. _'What the hell was_ that _about?!'_ Thinking back over what all happened, she couldn't think of anything different that caused her to blush. So, ...just what could've brought about such a reaction, Sasha wondered, finally reaching her class and heading inside for another period of learning.

 **...Well now. Sasha sure got a bit blushy in class there. Wonder what the cause of her blushing was? Questions, questions, questions that need to be answered ~ Until next time, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


End file.
